Global Services Network Alert February 24, 2006 Mandelson, Portman, Discuss EU-US Cooperation in Advancing Doha Round EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson and US Trade Representative Robert Portman both said that EU-US cooperation is essential to the successful conclusion of the Doha Round, in a February 22 joint media availability . Portman noted that on services, "the United States has consistently advocated the biggest possible package of service openings including in such key areas as financial services, telecommunications, computer related services, and express delivery. Liberalization of this services sector has injected greater competitiveness into developing countries that have opened their services markets and it has produced needed improvements in these countries in terms of their infrastructure and modernizing their economies." Commissioner Mandelson said that "While agriculture is important for the United States and for others, it is not the single issue in this Round...what is needed now is more serious offers from WTO members on industrial goods and services that will offer our companies the prospect of real and new market access, particularly in the big emerging economies." For a transcript of the media availability, click here. Plurilateral Services Requests Taking Shape Groups of WTO Members are expected to submit approximately 20 collective requests for countries to open their markets to foreign services providers, across almost every services sector and mode, according to a recent report by the International Center for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICSTD). As agreed at the Hong Kong WTO Ministerial Meeting, "Friends" groups are preparing requests in sectors including energy, financial services, legal services, logistics, maritime, telecom, and others, as well as for increased access for individual workers ('Mode 4'), and the expansion of the cross-border supply of services ('Mode 1'). Reportedly, Brazil, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand are targeted by many of the plurilateral requests. A February 16 meeting of the Special Session of the Council for Trade in Services discussed the possible structure of plurilateral negotiations that will follow the presentation of the requests, flexibilities for developing countries, and other issues. For the ICSTD article, click here. Lamy: US Leadership "Indispensable" for Doha Round Success In a February 17 speech in Washington DC, WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy said that “as in the other Rounds, US leadership is indispensable” for the Doha Round to conclude successfully by the end of the year. He discussed all the major areas of negotiation in the Round and said that "As the largest exporter of services in the world, the US stands to reap enormous benefits if WTO Members offer substantial access to their markets. " He added that “at the end of the day all countries stand to gain from a strengthened multilateral trading system — both developed and developing countries since trade is not a zero-sum game”. For a copy of Director-General Lamy's speech, click here. Services Trade Negotiations Course Offered by Summit of Americas Center, May 17-26, 2006 The Center of Studies on Economic Integration and International Trade, in cooperation with the Summit of the Americas Center at Florida International University, will offer a services trade negotiations skills course for government officials and private sector representatives. The course, which will be conducted in Spanish, will be held from May 17-26, 2006, and will include two practical exercises: one on the elaboration of services commitments and non-conforming measures, and the other a three-day simulation exercise on the negotiation of a services chapter in a free trade agreement. For more information, click here. US Services Exports Increase to $379 billion in 2005 US exports of services reached $378.6 billion in 2005, an increase of $34.7 billion over 2004, according to data recently released by the US Bureau of the Census. By category, the largest increases in exports occurred in other private services ($10.0 billion); travel ($9.0 billion); royalties and license fees ($5.2 billion); and other transportation ($4.5 billion). US services imports in 2005 reached $322.2 billion, an increase of $26.1 billion from the previous year. For more information, click here